Interior How To - Bed End Removal.

[Drover]

With the fly screens on my Bed End torn in multiple places the time had come to remove them for a trip to the canvas bloke..............
Here's a blow by blow How To...with piccies..............

Here's the tools needed...screw gun, leatherman or flat head screwdriver, trestles and tyre or something to hold the bed base up as you pull it off....





First up open up your bed end as normal and remove mattress, if you have tables and stuff under the bed then move them also.
Move outside and start to remove all the screws from the panel holding the canvas to the base......

It's handy to have a tray or tin to put the screws in........


Once all the screws are removed, gently pull the alloy panel strip off and then peel the canvas off and lift over the frame...................


........If you look at the frame near the hinge you will see a screw hidden away, remove this before you go inside van and put a horse or something to support the base............You don't really need to remove the base so you can skip this part and move to the canvas removal but I wanted to do some upgrading.
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... ...........................................
Back inside pull up the cover over the base hinge and start to remove the screws on the bottom hinge,

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I removed every second one then did that again but you should find it has been stuck down so shouldn't move with the screws removed.....back outside with the canvas out of the way, undo the the shackle pins


and support the base on the tyre, then lift and push the base till it comes away and remove it................

Now you should have the canvas hanging from the frame, to remove just start at one end and pull it out from the channel section ,............
................. close the lid and your done......


The How To - Put It All Together will come later when I figure it out........................ next post is of some other things to do at the same time.

 

[Drover]

Here we go Part 2......................while you have the bed base off it is a good time to check the pop rivet hinges, replace them as they are a bugga to do otherwise.........

Also the framing around the bed end I noticed that the bottom section on mine had no sealant at all, relying on the screws of the bottom hinge to keep out everything, silastic will be in this gap when it goes back together.........I may remove the frame entirely and do a reseal, no leaks but I am curious.


I took this opportunity with the lid closed as well as the curtains to see how well it seals up, the only light I found was from the opening around the latch cavity which did have a mod but they fell off, try the Mk 2 version next time.............

Time to do the whole thing was about 30 mins and not as hard as I thought it was going to be.......

 

[Dobbie]

A great help for anyone contemplating this job.

It's always a bit daunting to attempt these repairs so it's good to know someone has nutted it out for you....just hope we don't both stuff it up.

 

[Drover]

It's getting the canvas strip back into the slot that has me wondering, seems like it won't be too hard but may have to make a "Special Tool " to help it..........Take it to the Canvas bloke on Monday, hope it doesn't take him bloody weeks to do it...... all three screens are rotten....

 

[burnsie]

Great write up @Drover

 

[bigcol]

have you got a picture of the channel itself @Drover
I am wondering if those funny roller things that you use for fly screens would work...........



top write up by the way

good on you

 

[Drover]

I'll try and get a pic of the channel but the old fly screen roller won't work, the main frame is like a strip of angle with one edge folded over to make the channel the problem being it folds towards the inside of the angle so you only have a bit more than 25mm to fiddle. I was thinking of a small tool similar to the one that you use on brick work to shape the mortar but the handle would be at 90 deg, made of smooth bit of rod, curved at the end, add a bit of slip maybe, hopefully be able to just push it in with a bit of wood actually.

 

[bigcol]

being daring with my thoughts
is that channel easy to remove........ and slid the canvas in, like the awning.........?

just worried about pushing it in, with something sharp........ and doing a mischief

 

[Drover]

This pic from the first post shows the channel and theres not much room for anything more than fingers, sliding in wouldn't work either. Have to go to the original post for the pic to expand.

 

[crustt]

I'll try and get a pic of the channel but the old fly screen roller won't work, the main frame is like a strip of angle with one edge folded over to make the channel the problem being it folds towards the inside of the angle so you only have a bit more than 25mm to fiddle. I was thinking of a small tool similar to the one that you use on brick work to shape the mortar but the handle would be at 90 deg, made of smooth bit of rod, curved at the end, add a bit of slip maybe, hopefully be able to just push it in with a bit of wood actually.

I made a blunt chisel out of wood for that job, tap it in with a wooden mallet.

 

[Drover]

Project completed..............

A couple of things I said earlier that I would like to clarify, the strips that you take off around the bottom of the bed end mark them L , R and rear will save some stuffing around later also I mentioned that removing the base wasn't really needed, well I think it just makes replacing the canvas so much easier as you can stand up while doing it plus the opportunity to do a reseal makes it worthwhile I believe.....

Now putting it back together is pretty easy, I was very pleased.........I started with just pushing the top runner into the track just by using my fingers to get it lined up, then gently did same on the sides, all lined up first go, with the base removed the job was very easy, with great plans to make a special tool for the job, the temp was 40 degs in the shed so a bit of pine 40mm x 10mm was the nominated tool and by just laying it over the runner and giving a light twist it pushed the track in, just needed to repeat it a couple of hundred times......

............Not the greatest of pics I'm afraid, started in the middle at the top and worked to the end then down the sides.................Attaching to the base which using the saw horse and tyre to hold it up while I lined it up to connect the stays made the job easy, I resealed the panel which the base hinge screws to first though.
Van aircon was running in preparation for working inside van, bliss.
Some double sided tape the (real slim stuff) helps keep the vinyl section in place while you screw the panels back on, I dipped the screws in some silastic before fitting.

Now all completed, time needed maybe 60 mins, not a lot anyway.
I'm happy with the finished product and it won't rip too soon. :victorious:
Had a mild panic when I saw the creases and dip in the roof but someone had forgotten to push the braces out on the frame.....................
Cost me $270 and well spent as it's far better than the household fly screen used originally.......................

 

[dagree]

Well done @Drover

 

[bigcol]

you made it look and sound sooo easy.........................

great job mate, give yourself a pat on the back

 

[Drover]

It really is a job you can do at home, minimal tools or swearing needed. So if flyscreen needs doing you will save heaps by removing the B E yourself.

 

[RobboCoco]

Thanks Crustt i will give that a go ...